‘In the case of Hrabkova v Secretary of State for Work and Pension [2017] EWCA Civ 794, the Court of Appeal confirmed once again that self-employed individuals do not have the same rights as workers under EU law. The specific question in this case was whether a person with a child at school who had been self employed and ceased work might be entitled to claim Employment Support Allowance.’

‘Recent uncertainty as to how a costs budget impacts on the final bill in relation to both incurred and estimated costs has, to some extent, been resolved by the judgment in Harrison v University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust [2017] EWCA Civ 792.’

‘Commenting on Lord Neuberger’s speech published yesterday, Chair of the Bar Andrew Langdon QC has said that a complete rethink on the availability and sufficiency of legal aid is needed in order to prevent excluding those who cannot afford its protection.’